Vuelta a España: Stage 1
Parcours preview
Distance: 27km
Category: Team time trial
Highest point: 110m
The Vuelta and Galicia have taken a shine to each other in recent years. The race started in Vigo in 2007 and has returned regularly since, most recently last year for no fewer than five stages, one of which finished in Sanxenxo, where German sprinter John Degenkolb (Argos-Shimano) blasted to victory. This team time trial will, of course, be very different. The test starts at seven in the evening on a pontoon anchored (very firmly we assume) in the Arousa estuary. The flat course stays close to the coast, passing alongside Sanxenxo's renowned Silgar beach just before the finish. Expect most of the top teams from the Tour's TTT in Nice to contend, including Movistar, Vuelta TTT winners last year.
José Azevedo: "Sometimes in Galicia the profile can look flat but it is not flat, it's constantly up and down on small hills. The wind of the sea can be an added complication. It's not a long test but it's clearly important for the riders who have ambitions for the general classification."
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Peter Cossins has written about professional cycling since 1993 and is a contributing editor to Procycling. He is the author of The Monuments: The Grit and the Glory of Cycling's Greatest One-Day Races (Bloomsbury, March 2014) and has translated Christophe Bassons' autobiography, A Clean Break (Bloomsbury, July 2014).
Latest on Cyclingnews
-
'My body's not really recovering as well as I'd like' – Neilson Powless battling away at Tour de France despite uneven top form
EF Education-EasyPost racer part of stage 10 break that saw teammate Ben Healy take win -
'It's good they focus so much on each other' - Remco Evenepoel keen to profit off rivalry between Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard for Tour de France GC
Belgian star remains non-committal about long-term future with Soudal-QuickStep -
Why are more juniors making the leap directly into the WorldTour? A deep dive into the new normal
From training to travel, Cyclingnews looks at how junior riders are tackling the changes that come with signing a professional WorldTour contract -
'I hope he feels tired' – After rest day coffees and a burger, Tadej Pogačar aims to strip Tour de France leader's jersey from Ben Healy
World champion expects short, challenging second week of the Tour de France to speed by